Frank Campbell, president of Interstate Waste Technologies, has a letter in this week’s city council agenda outlining his intention of building a cutting-edge, waste-processing plant on a 138-acre site in Freetown.

The city doesn’t have to worry anymore about the possibility of neighborhood opposition to a gasoline-producing, gasification trash facility.

Frank Campbell, president of Interstate Waste Technologies, has a letter in this week’s city council agenda outlining his intention of building a cutting-edge waste-processing plant on a 138-acre site in Freetown.

Since 2011, Campbell has proposed building a municipal-solid-waste gasification plant in Taunton that would produce saleable gasoline as byproduct. The facility would replace Taunton’s bulging landfill on East Britannia Street now set to close in late 2015.

In 2010, Campbell’s Pennsylvania-based IWT initially pursued development of an ethanol byproduct model, but was unable to get state environmental approval.

Last Decmber, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection issued a draft revision to its Solid Waste Master Plan — which for 23 years has prohibited construction of trash-incineration plants — easing gasification restrictions.

The revision allowed for up to 350,000 tons of municipal solid waste to be gasified and converted into fuel by means of “new or alternative technology.” But Campbell said IWT needed at least 500,000 tons annually to be profitable over the course of its 30-year contract with the city.

Less than a year ago, IWT signed a two-party agreement with the city and New York state-based WeCare Organics LLC. The idea has been for WeCare to build a recycling plant adjacent Myles Standish Industrial Park, as well as a gasification plant near the city’s wastewater treatment plant on West Water Street to eliminate all sewer sludge.

In the event that IWT is unable to build its gasoline byproduct facility, WeCare will assume the entire contract and construct a transfer station in addition to its two other facilities.

Campbell and his lawyer, former Taunton mayor and state representative Theodore Aleixo, came before the council in June with both good and bad news.

The good news was that MassDEP had agreed to allow IWT to process more than 550,000 tons of solid waste per year. The bad news was that DEP rejected the land parcel near the industrial park because of a lack of upland and problems with wetlands replication.

The 36-acre parcel, called the Alec Rich site, previously was bought from Rich by the city for $2.8 million. Rich originally paid Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant $36,000 for the land.

On Saturday, Campbell said he guarantees Taunton the same financial benefits included in his original contract. That would include free waste disposal services worth $1.25 million per year, another $2 million in annual host community benefits and $250,000 in annual revenue sharing.

His documents to the council also promises a one-time $2.75 million payment at the time of IWT’s financial closing. The company has an Aug. 12 deadline to provide documentation that it has solid financial backing.

Campbell said he intends to seek an extension of that deadline. He also said Freetown can expect to be monetarily compensated equal to that of Taunton.

Page 2 of 2 -
“They’ll get the same damn thing,” an upbeat Campbell said.

Campbell said the Freetown land is undeveloped, contains some old buildings and is isolated. He said it has a natural buffer separating it from residential areas, rail line and access to natural gas, all of which is necessary to running the gasification plant.

“It’s perfect, you can’t beat it,” he said, noting that the site is easily accessible from Exit 8A off Route 24.

He estimated it would take two to four months to finalize an agreement with the town.

Campbell also includes a letter from a DEP official who indicates the IWT project is feasible because “it is gasifying a waste stream that has been subjected to removal of more than 50 percent of recyclable material.”

City Councilman David Pottier said he was “incredulous” in regard to Campbell’s proposal.

“How does he think it’s going to be profitable enough to pay us and Freetown?” Pottier said.